View from the riverside bar Sambal - of the Royal Orchid Sheraton on the Chao Praya river in Bangkok We arrived at 7am - grand hotel reeking rich international business travellers - and us! Caught free hotel boat upriver to the local Skytrain metro point.

Serenity - a special secret place nestling in the hills above the sea. Nearby are olive groves, faraway a sailing boat is the only splash of white in the shimmering Ionian sea. Float in the pool or sprawl on squishy bean bags in the sun.

One of the best things about Club Vass is the Happy Hour at the beach hut. With cocktails at 4 Euros what's not to like! So we worked through the list: Mai Tais, Strawberry Sherbert (fizzy!) Illusion (blue) and of course the ubiquitous Sex on the Beach (sweet). And the Pina Coladas weren't bad either. I think our record was 3 - well it is only an hour...

Windsurfing lesson with Robski. Just me and Ros. So no hiding behind someone else's sails! Ros took to it straight away - I kept falling off but we both managed to sail (secure position?) then turn (tricky) and sail back. Great fun, but you tire quite quickly from hauling yourself onto the board - my knees were not a pretty sight later. And when the kids club and classes come out you are jostling for space on the sea. I had to drop the sail and leap into the ...

FRIDAY Late onto the minibus waiting to pick us up before the rounds of all the other hotels. Not good start. changed seats three times before settling at the front - just before the next tourists got in. Unlike queues where I always choose the wrong one, this was an excellent decision. Great view all day. First stop was the National Park where the Eurasian and American tectonic plates meet. Elly was particularly impressed by the crack between them which now ...